Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is calling for the Council of the District of Columbia to implement a curfew for juveniles in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area as a public safety matter. Bowser’s plea comes after a violent brawl during a so-called “teen takeover” in the capital city’s Navy Yard section. Video of a melee inside the Navy Yard Chipotle showed several violent juveniles fighting each other, including using store chairs as weapons.
“I urge the DC Council to immediately pass emergency legislation to restore the extended juvenile curfew in Washington, DC,” Bowser said in a post on X.
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I urge the DC Council to immediately pass emergency legislation to restore the extended juvenile curfew in Washington, DC.
The absence of this vital tool is having a profound negative impact on both public safety and sense of safety in the District.
We cannot afford further… pic.twitter.com/IDyz96bTD5— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) May 18, 2026
“The absence of this vital tool is having a profound negative impact on both public safety and sense of safety in the District,” she posted. “We cannot afford further delay.”
Violent confrontations among juveniles in Washington, D.C. have been a recurring public safety concern in recent months. In one instance, during the first week of April, eight teenagers were arrested after police responded to reports of fighting in the Navy Yard district. In multiple incidents, police officers were reportedly assaulted by the youths.
Bowser’s plea for the restoration of the juvenile curfew comes after U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro warned that parents of teenagers causing trouble in the so-called “teen takeovers” could face legal consequences in the future, including $500 fines, criminal prosecutions, and jail time, in certain circumstances. Pirro said parents could be held accountable under the city’s “Contributing to the delinquency of a minor” statute.
“We’re going to charge them,” Pirro said. “And if you drop your kid off and you fail to supervise them or you let them skip school to join the chaos, you are going to face fines, court-ordered classes, and possible jail time.”
PIRRO THREATENS $500 FINES AND PROSECUTIONS FOR PARENTS AFTER VIOLENT NAVY YARD ‘TEEN TAKEOVER’
“This sends a clear message to the parents that you must supervise your kids or face criminal consequences,” Pirro said.
In Bowser’s post calling for the restoration of the curfew, she posted an image of what appears to be a legislative proposal by Councilmember Brooke Pinto to reinstate, on an emergency basis, the “Juvenile Curfew Second Temporary Amendment Act of 2025” and the “Volunteer Services Temporary Amendment Act of 2025.”
Pinto’s council act requested that the proposed amendment should “be cited as the ‘Juvenile Curfew Sunset Emergency Amendment Act of 2026.’”
